Oquendo files motion for new trial, seeks to represent himself

Looking to have verdict set aside, the Troy man also wants to represent himself

TROY, N.Y. >> The man convicted last year of killing his stepdaughter is looking to get a new trial, according to court documents.

Johnny Oquendo was convicted Nov. 17 of second-degree murder, criminal obstruction of breathing and unlawful concealment of a corpse, with jurors taking less than three hours to determine Oquendo beat, strangled and suffocated his 21-year-old stepdaughter Noel Alkaramla to death in his 3rd Street apartment on Nov. 22, 2015, shortly after a co-worker said he dropped Alkaramla off near Oquendo’s apartment.

Alkaramla’s body was pulled from the Hudson River nearly five weeks after her disappearance, near the USS Slater in Albany.

Oquendo was originally scheduled to be sentenced at the end of December.

However, that sentencing was postponed due to issues with Oquendo’s presentencing report, and he was due back in Rensselaer County Court for his new sentencing date in the beginning of January.

On Jan. 22, Oquendo filed motion documents in court claiming that he was denied effective assistance of counsel at trial by public defender Bill Roberts. He also filed motions to have the verdict set aside, which - if granted - would lead to a new trial.

According to court documents, on Feb. 1, the court relieved Oquendo from the public defender’s office and appointed the conflict defenders office to represent him.

The papers say Oquendo believes that he did not receive a satisfactory level or pre-trial consultation with his trial counsel, even though Oquendo’s motion papers indicates that he and his trial counsel met at least six times at the Rensselaer County Correctional Facility for purposes of consultation, and that there were also several face-to-face meeting between the defendant and his trial counsel at the Rensselaer County Courthouse.

The documents go on to state Oquendo said the discussions with his trial counsel were, “key talks, dealing with sensitive matters.”

Then on Feb. 12, Oquendo filed new motion papers seeking to relieve the conflict defenders office from further representing him and to permit him to represent himself.

According to the documents, the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office responded to Oquendo’s recent motions on Feb. 23, stating that the people take no position with the defendant’s motion to represent himself.

However, the documents said the District Attorney’s Office opposes the granting of any further adjournments of sentencing, and opposes the motions dated Jan. 22, 2018 and Feb. 1, 2018. The office also oppose Oquendo’s various motions to set aside the verdict.

Judge Andrew Ceresia will now have the option to accept or deny any of the recent motions put forth by Oquendo.

Oquendo’s trial went on for three weeks before the jury found him guilty of killing his former stepdaughter.

Oquendo faces as much as 25 years to life in prison on the murder charge, while the concealment count is also a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 2 to 4 years in prison. The strangulation charge is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.